Sometimes related to PaperThinDisguise, a plain paper grocery bag is often found to be a simple, yet effective way of concealing one's identity. In many cases, this usually involves a simple bag with a couple of eyeholes cut out, but variations exist. This usually does not occur when a person is planning a disguise, but rather, when a simple one is quickly needed.

This also seems to be commonly used as a mark of shame, whenever something embarrassing or humiliating has occurred, or for characters supposed to be unspeakably ugly. People will usually be able to recognize characters by voice, but it makes things painfully clear that something humiliating has happened.

Compare NewspaperThinDisguise.

----!!Examples:

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[[folder:Anime & Manga]]* Zetsubou-kun (a.k.a. Sad Sack) from ''Manga/BoboboboBobobo''.* In ''Manga/{{Change 123}}'', when Kosukegawa and Fujiko stroll through town, they get confronted by a mysterious man with an improvised bag mask. * In ''Anime/TenchiMuyoGXP'', Seina and his classmates were forced to wear paper bag masks to cover up the obscene-looking tattoos that appear on their faces.* In ''Manga/HayateCrossBlade'', when Hayate and Ayana visit the orphanage to tell them they don't need to worry about the loan sharks anymore, Hayate insists on wearing shopping bags on their heads, and introduces herself as "Famima-kamen" and Ayana as "Lawson-kamen" (named after the store chains the shopping bags were from, Family Mart and Lawson). This disguise gets seen through right away.** A variant as they're ''plastic'' shopping bags and thus highly uncomfortable (they aren't labeled as a suffocation hazard for nothing). Much to Ayana's chagrin, especially when she goes out in one solo.* Recently, many characters from ''[[Manga/AxisPowersHetalia Hetalia]]'' were given cat versions of themselves. Turkey always wears a plain white mask over his eyes, but a cat can't wear a mask--that would be ''silly''. The feline Turkey wears one of these instead, complete with a drawn-on smiley mouth, in an odd non-disguise example.* In ''LightNovel/ACertainMagicalIndex'', during the Agitate Halation Arc, Touma is treated to the surreal sight of a woman wearing a PlayboyBunny outfit with a paper bag over her head. The narrative refers to her as "Paper Bag Bunny Girl". She tries to kill him on sight with a device that resembles a [[BladeOnAStick naginata]] and sprays water with enough force to slice through metal, but he quickly escapes.* Cocoa puts one on Sharo's face in episode 7 of ''Manga/IsTheOrderARabbit'' when visiting Chiya, because of her fear of rabbits. Interestingly, Anko doesn't chase after Sharo until after she rips off the bag.* Shadow Man, the phantom thief of ''Anime/RanpoKitanGameOfLaplace''. The bag is necessary to keep his identity a secret.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Books]]* ''Franchise/SpiderMan'':** After the Comicbook/FantasticFour freed Spider-Man from the Venom symbiote, he needed a temporary costume. A spare uniform was easy, but the FF don't wear masks. Johnny provides a grocery bag, and ta-da! Introducing the Amazing Bag-Man! Unfortunately, Peter didn't know that Johnny Storm added a KickMePrank sign on his back and after Spider-Man stopped a crime in that outfit, he was surrounded by reporters asking if this was some kind of initiation for superheroes.** And when he didn't have a real costume handy ''again'', he was forced to go into action as the ''Bombastic'' Bag-Man. When you make up a [[TheAdjectivalSuperhero distinctive adjective]] to describe what is basically your hobo costume, you're pretty much admitting it's going to see some serious usage.--->'''ComicBook/SpiderMan''': Bombastic Bag-Man was not my finest moment...** And there was another time where he needed to clean his Spidey costume, but the laundry room at his apartment was being used, and he didn't want the occupants to see his costume (for obvious reasons). So he swings his way to a nearby laundromat with the bag over his head to conceal his identity while he washed it.* Vanity Smurf uses one in ''Franchise/TheSmurfs and The Book That Tells Everything''.* ComicBook/{{Rat-Man}} as a young kid in an orphanarium used one to pass unnoticed to the bully who had previously threatened him. [[TooDumbToLive Unfortunately]], he forgot to remove it during the classes...* In ''ComicStrip/KnightsOfTheDinnerTable'', B.A. sometimes forces his players to wear paper bag masks if he's worried that their facial expressions will give away information the other players shouldn't know. Brian's head is too large to fit in a paper bag so he has to wear a cardboard box.* In ''ComicBook/MarshalLaw'', superpowered SerialKiller the Sleepman wears a paper bag mask with only one eyehole.* Deconstructed in an issue of Chuck Dixon's ''Detective Comics'' - a ButtMonkey small-time criminal wears one of these to his first robbery, but was quickly tripped up by the lack of peripheral vision. In the end, the cops had to save ''him'' from the [[TwoShotsFromBehindTheBar store's manager]] and other customers.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Strips]]* In a 1970s ''ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}}'' story arc, Charlie Brown wore a grocery bag on his head to hide a rash that resembled the stitches on a baseball. At camp, Charlie Brown became known as "Mr. Sack" and, as long as he wore the sack, his popularity improved greatly.* In ''ComicStrip/{{Zits}}'', Pierce wears one when he has to drive Mrs Toomey's minivan home from the lake.* In ''ComicStrip/TheFarSide'', explorers come across a tribe whose people and their dogs wear brown paper bags over their heads:-->"This ''must'' be it, Jenkins -- the legendary Ugliest Place on Earth."* In a bizarre crossover strip in ''ComicStrip/PearlsBeforeSwine'', Rat is working as a hotel concierge when a man wearing a paper bag asks him for help in getting a "date" so he can get away from his wife. Rat tells him to take off the bag--and it's [[ComicStrip/SallyForthHoward Ted Forth]].--> '''Rat:''' Sally's gonna be maaaaaaaad.* In ''ComicStrip/{{Garfield}}'', Jon is wearing a bag over his head. He explains to Garfield that he has a date, but has humongous zit, and that it's so bad, he'd hide it. As his date arrives, he hopes she'll understand, but much to his surprise, she's wearing a paper bag covering her entire body![[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]* The titular character of ''Le Bagman'', [[CrossesTheLineTwice hilariously violent]] amateur film, is called just "Bagman" because of this.* The protagonist in ''Film/AlmostAnAngel'' robs a burger joint of many fish burgers (he wants to feed the hungry, and he's following a bible very literally), wearing their own clown-face burger bag as a mask. Later, a reporter informs people to be on lookout for a man looking exactly like that (even donning a bag herself to demonstrate).* [[IconicOutfit Naturally]], ''Film/TheElephantMan'' does this, but with a sheet instead of a paper bag, to cover John Merrick's deformed face.* The film ''Film/{{Baghead}}''. Aside from the title character, all four of the main protagonists wear one at least once.* In ''Film/HowTheGrinchStoleChristmas'', as a kid, the Grinch once shaved after an insult by August Maywho. The results were disastrous, and he hid his face in one of these.* In ''Film/FridayThe13thPart2'', Jason Voorhees sported a sack with a single eyehole cut out for his first appearance ([[HillbillyHorrors along with a flannel shirt and overalls]]). It wasn't until Part 3 that he started wearing the iconic [[HockeyMaskAndChainsaw goalie mask]] he's now known for.* In the soft-core porn ''Film/{{Flash Gordon|Serial}}'' spoof ''Flesh Gordon 2: Flesh Gordon Meets the Cosmic Cheerleaders'', the BigBad insists his overweight wife wear a bag on her head during sex. Flesh Gordon [[BedTrick enters the room instead and has sex with her]], which [[BiggusDickus doesn't bother her in the least]], even when she realizes who it is.* In ''Film/TrickRTreat'', one of the kids killed in the 'Schoolbus Massacre' wearing wearing an incredibly creepy paper bag mask. Thirty years at the bottom of the pond does nothing to diminish its creepiness.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]* ''Literature/SoonIWillBeInvincible''. In a ChanceMeetingBetweenAntagonists, [[MadScientist Doctor Impossible]] is spotted having a coffee by a superhero who immediately calls in the rest of his SuperTeam. Forced to fight on the spot without his mask and cape, he tapes a napkin over his face to protect his SecretIdentity.%% * One Beggar from ''Literature/Discworld'' (I think it's Arnold Sideways) is paid by the day to wear a bag over his head, lest his hideous appearance cause folk to think that they're upside-down.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]* RealLife example: the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unknown_Comic Unknown Comic]], who appeared on ''Series/TheGongShow'' and ''[[Series/BullseyeUS Celebrity Bullseye]]''.* ''Series/AllThat'''s [[OffToSeeTheWizard parody]] of ''Film/TheWizardOfOz'' featured the Wizard gives "Dorothy's" companion Mr. [=McToad=] a bag to wear on his head. His problem being that his face accidentally scares children and animals, the bag would be a solution.** They also had a recurring superhero who got his powers when he fell headfirst into a bucket of radioactive waste. The only problem? The bucket was stuck on his head, and thereafter served as his mask. He once fought a villain who's origin story was similar, but actually used a brown paper bag (why he couldn't just tear it off isn't addressed). * ''Series/{{Wiseguy}}'': Undercover agent Vinne Terranova is HauledBeforeASenateSubcommittee, but his superior Frank [=McPike=] insists that he testify behind a screen with his voice electronically altered, as he doesn't want Vinnie to blow his cover. An annoyed Vinnie goes into the bedroom, then reappears wearing a pillow case with eyeholes cut in it. "Is this how you want me to appear? [[LetXBeTheUnknown Agent X]]?"* On ''Series/PrettyLittleLiars'', [[TeacherStudentRomance Aria and Ezra]] were angsting about how they couldn't ever go out or take a picture together. [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming Aria solves part of this by making two brown paper bag masks with doodle faces on them, and they take a picture.]]* On ''Series/MadMen'', Joan's advice to Peggy on her first day in the office is to go home, put a paper bag over her head, and assess her own body in the mirror in order to decide which features to play up when dressing for work.* The first time [[{{Calvinball}} Numberwang]] is played on ''Series/ThatMitchellAndWebbLook'', the loser has a paper bag put over her head with the word "NO" written on it.* Meta-example: When Michael Wisher was preparing to play Davros in the ''Series/DoctorWho'' story ''Genesis of the Daleks'', he wore one of these during rehearsals. Not as a ''disguise'', though: he wanted to get himself used to being virtually blind in the Davros mask.* On an episode of ''Series/MarriedWithChildren'', Al got a job as the school's security guard. When he lost the job due to gross incompetence, Bud wore a paper bag over his head and wrote "I am NOT a Bundy!" on the back.** And in "He Thought He Could", both Bundy children start wearing this after Al is caught on video camera "finding" a book in the library that he'd had checked out for decades, but wanted to avoid paying the fine.* On the third-season ''Series/TwoBrokeGirls'' episode "And the Kickstarter", Caroline uses one to conceal her identity in the video she records for her pitch for new pants on the titular website.* One of the Chris Evans hosted episodes of ''Series/TopGear'' had the infamous segment where he threw up during a car test. When the segment ended, Matt [=LeBlanc=] said that Chris had left. We then see Chris in the background wearing one of these (with his glasses still on), saying "I'm not here."[[/folder]]

[[folder:Music Videos]]* The titular crazy bastard in the music video for the Music/TheyMightBeGiants song "Bastard Wants to Hit Me" dons one of these when being snubbed by the narrator pushes him completely over the edge.* In Music/TheLonelyIsland video for "I Just Had Sex", one of the characters has one of these foisted on him by his girlfriend before they can get it on. Still counts as sex!* They are also worn by the people holding up their postcard secrets in the video for Music/TheAllAmericanRejects song "Dirty Little Secret".[[/folder]]

[[folder:Pro Wrestling]]* In 1986, Wrestling/AndreTheGiant was suspended by the Wrestling/WorldWrestlingFederation [[CharlieBrownFromOuttaTown but continued to appear under a mask as a Japanese wrestler called the Giant Machine]]. Wrestling/BobbyHeenan had been addressing the issue for weeks and appeared on Piper's Pit claiming to have recently signed two wrestlers from Korea. Two men came out wearing paper bags over their heads and Heenan announced "Isn't this the most ridiculous thing you've ever seen?" just before they removed their Paper Thin Disguises to do The Reveal that they were Wrestling/BigJohnStudd and Wrestling/KingKongBundy, two men Heenan managed.* A similar angle was done by WCW around the same time. "Wildfire" Billy Rich lost a retirement match and the following week, a masked wrestler named "Mr. R" began appearing. Everyone knew Rich was Mr. R but played along to agitate Rich's heel opponent (at this time, who he was is lost to memory but it might have been Rick Rude), who happened to be the WCW Television champion. After some time, the heel and "Mr. R" battled in a TV title match and the heel unmasked Mr. R, only to reveal Brad Armstrong. Rich came out from backstage to taunt the heel, distracting the heel and allowing Armstrong to get the pin and become the TV champion. The heel tried to claim he "knew" something wasn't right as Armstrong was smaller than Rich.* As [[Wrestling/{{WCW}} World Championship Wrestling]] decayed, one spectator was witnessed wearing one of these and holding a sign saying "I'M AT A WCW EVENT."* Wrestling/{{TNA}}'s {{tag team}} "Wrestling/TheBeautifulPeople", essentially two fully-grown {{Alpha Bitch}}es, give some people the "paper bag treatment", in which they stuff a paper bag with construction paper hair and make-up decorations over the victim's head.* Wrestling/CodyRhodes handed these out at ringside to the front-row fans ("at great personal expense"), as well as placing them over the heads of his defeated opponents. It's a part of his {{heel}} gimmick, wherein he's "doing them a favor" by hiding what he perceives as their hideousness from the world. Wrestling/RandyOrton put a bag over Cody's head after defeating him.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]* Faust from ''VideoGame/GuiltyGear'' wears one as a self-imposed mark of shame. There's a reason he's sometimes called [[FanNickname "Dr. Baghead"]].* Certain {{Mooks}} in ''VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes'' wear brown paper bags, mostly just so that they look strange.* Interestingly enough, used to scary effect on ''VideoGame/Persona2'' by [[http://megamitensei.wikia.com/wiki/JOKER JOKER]], with the bloodstains, single eyehole, and crudely drawn SlasherSmile emphasizing just how unhinged the guy is. Seriously, just look at this guy. Does he LOOK like someone you'd want to mess with?* The Aristocrats in ''VideoGame/RuleOfRose'' wear paper bags on their heads while committing more nefarious deeds, presumably to distance themselves from the act, and this trait is passed on some of the [[{{Mooks}} Imps]], as well. This is probably one of the creepiest instances of the trope in the near history.* In ''VideoGame/TheSims3'', this is the symbol for the "humiliated" moodlet.* In ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'' these are available for all classes as the "Halloween mask."* The Bombastic Bag-Man mentioned in the Comic Books section is a unlockable costume for Amazing Spider-Man in ''VideoGame/SpiderManShatteredDimensions'', complete with mask.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Animation]]* In ''WebAnimation/IfTheEmperorHadATextToSpeechDevice'', during Primarchs roll call, Alpharius and Omegon both wear bags with cut-out eyes on their heads. It's fairly in line with the [[TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}} canon material]] -- while often without helmets or masks in-story, the twins never have their faces shown or described.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Comics]]* In ''WebComic/MegaTokyo'', [[PsychoForHire Ed]] goes around with a paper bag on his head for a while after having his face blown off in an explosion, until he gets it surgically replaced.* Iliad, the cartoonist of ''Webcomic/UserFriendly'', always represents himself with a paper bag on his head when he makes a cameo appearance.* Millie in ''Webcomic/OzyAndMillie'' once wore one to hide her [[FelonyMisdemeanor teal]] [[HairDecorations hair elastic]]. Ozy [[SkewedPriorities questioned her judgment of which was more shameful]].* Wonderella dons one of these in ''Webcomic/TheNonAdventuresOfWonderella'' to hide from her past self. Her past self notices the chick in the brown bag mask but instead of trying to figure out who's under it, just draws a penis on it.* Stan, the main character of ''Webcomic/{{June}}'', always wears a bag mask. His eyes, nose and mouth are occasionally seen, so what exactly is he hiding?[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]* In ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'', Chester's father, Bucky [[MeaningfulName McBadbat]], wears a bag on his head because of his shame at losing a major league baseball game.* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'':** Notoriously [[ReclusiveArtist reclusive novelist]] Creator/ThomasPynchon was depicted this way in two episodes.** Homer once started a website where he revealed all kinds of dirt secrets about Springfield. He made his avatar a picture of him with a paper bag over his head. After his site became popular and won an award, Homer tried to claim credit for it. Nobody believed him until he put on the paper bag in front of everyone.* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/MyLifeAsATeenageRobot'', Jenny hides under a paper bag when she gets robo-pimples.* [[InformedAbility Ugly Bob]] from [[WesternAnimation/SouthPark Terrence and Philip]] is forced to wear one, because, he's so [[LampshadeHanging damn ugly!]]** "How to Eat with Your Butt" has Butters' being forced by his father to wear one because of the "stupid" face he made in his school picture, even though his face is normal (implying that Butters' father thinks his son's face is stupid by default).* TheMovie of ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls'' has Mojo Jojo wear a paper bag as a hat when he's "Hobo Jojo" to cover up his mutated brain.** An episode of the TV series has Bubbles wear a paper bag after [[AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents Professor Utonium]] reveals her [[PottyFailure (former)]] [[EmbarrassingDampSheets bed-wetting problem.]]* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'', Candace dons a paper bag to hide the skin condition caused by her parsnip allergy (which also gave her the voice of a male blues singer!).* When [[WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes Sylvester]] is beaten by Hippety Hopper (a baby BoxingKangaroo) yet again, his son (if he's along) wears a paper bag over his head as he feels he cannot show his face in public due to the shame of having a father who gets beaten up by a "mouse".* In the ''WesternAnimation/VeggieTales'' episode "Minnesota Cuke and the Search for Noah's Umbrella", Larry wears one (with a little frown face drawn on it) on the countertop, due to being ashamed after some kids in another booth at Burger Bell laughed at him for praying over his food. After the episode ends, he still has the bag on, but now it's smiling. Bob gets quite a shock when Larry has no idea that there even ''was'' an emotion on the bag, and an even bigger one when it changes emotions by itself!** An earlier instance of this happens in the Larry-Boy spin-off series ''The Cartoon Adventures of Larry-Boy'' episode "The Good, the Bad, and the Eggly", where Larry-Boy and Dark Crow wear these (and pajamas) after their original costumes were reduced to over easy eggs.* In ''WesternAnimation/JimmyTwoShoes'', Lucius wears a bag over his head after he gets a bad haircut.* The ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' episode "The Thief of Baghead" features actor Langdon Cobb, who is considered the finest actor of his time despite never appearing without a paper bag over his head. He claims that it's so his beautiful face would not distract from his acting, [[spoiler:but in reality it's to hide the fact that he's from an alien species whose appearance robs the witness of its lifeforce, which Landgon feeds off.]]* Played with in ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'' when a cow had a a brown bag tied around her udder, which is revealed to have a weird looking face on it.* In the ''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy'' Valentine's Day special, Ed wears an assortment of paper bag masks [[RunningGag throughout the episode]], ostensibly to disguise himself from girls (especially [[StalkerWithACrush the Kanker Sisters]]).* ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooMysteryIncorporated'': Sheriff Stone dons one to conceal his identity after he loses his job in "Dead Justice".* In the ''WesternAnimation/RobotChicken'' sketch "[[WesternAnimation/{{MASK}} Put A M.A.S.K. On It]]", Matt is a ChubbyChaser looking for the right woman. "Darlene" notes that everyone else has a mask and asks if she gets one as well. Matt assures her she does and then puts a bag over her head.* ''WesternAnimation/TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandy'' episode "Just The Two Of Pus" had Sperg wear one over his face to hide his acne because people wouldn't stop screaming when they saw him. It was recommended by a doctor, who charges out the ass for it in the episode's end when Sperg managed to remove his acne through another method--he couldn't object because he accidentally removed his own mouth as well.* The U.S. Acres segment "The Monster Who Couldn't Scare Anybody" of ''WesternAnimation/GarfieldAndFriends'' had a monster wear one over his face because his parents were ashamed of his "ugliness" (he looked like a human child), to make them proud he decided to try and scare people to no avail, when Roy Rooster learns this he sets him up with Wade, but Wade knocks himself out because Roy told him of his arrival before he has a chance to see him, eventually they are attacked by Orson's brothers and the monster takes off the bag in an attempt to scare them and it actually works, it turns out they were afraid of him because he was a dead ringer for a sausage salesman and they know sausage is made from pigs.* The ''WesternAnimation/TeenWolf'' episode "The Beast Within" has Mr. Howard turning into a werewolf while in the middle of working at his tool shop, so he puts on a paper bag to conceal his wolf face from his customers.* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'': In "Something Smells", Patrick wears one when he thinks he caught "the ugly" from [=SpongeBob=].** In ''WesternAnimation/TheSpongeBobSquarePantsMovie'', King Neptune wears a brown bag on his head to conceal his [[PleaseKeepYourHatOn shiny baldness]].* When ''WesternAnimation/{{Doug}}'' get's his first pimple, Judy sarcastically suggests that he wear a bag over his head to hide it when he asks for a solution.* Dr. Flug from ''WesternAnimation/{{Villainous}}'' wears a pair of dark-tinted goggles over a paper-bag mask.* The ''WesternAnimation/SpiderMan1981'' episode "The Sandman is Coming" has Spider-Man forced to flee his fight with the Sandman because he loses his mask during the fight. To avoid his secret identity from being exposed, he web-swings home with a paper bag mask.* ''WesternAnimation/JohnnyBravo'': In "Aunt Katie's Farm", Johnny has to take Little Suzy to a taping of a kid's show. Embarrassed about it, he wears a bag mask, but takes it off when Carl immediately recognizes him.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Real Life]]* At Mephit Furmeet 5, an attendee concealed his identity in the cheapest fursuit ever--a mouse mask made from a bag and a rope through the belt for a tail. At the end of the conference, the attendee's identity was revealed: [[spoiler:none other than Dr. Samuel Conway, AKA Uncle Kage, chairman of Anthrocon.]]* Fans of sports teams who are on a particularly painful losing streak will wear brown bags over their heads at games to express dissatisfaction at the way a team is being run to denote shame rather than the desire to conceal one's identity for nefarious purposes. For example, for a period in the 1990s, the New Orleans Saints, a UsefulNotes/NationalFootballLeague team, had notoriously lousy teams. Their fans took to calling them the "Aints" and wearing paper bags over their heads. The Detroit Lions have gotten a lot of this since 2002.* Creator/ShiaLaBeouf [[http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/10/showbiz/celebrity-news-gossip/shia-labeouf-berlin/ wore such a mask]], with "[[MemeticMutation I AM]] [[SelfDeprecation NOT FAMOUS]] [[CreatorBreakdown ANYMORE]]" written on it, during the Berlin premiere of [[Creator/LarsVonTrier Nymphomaniac]].[[/folder]]----